Semiconductor device including output circuit constituted of plural unit buffer circuits in which impedance thereof are adjustable

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device includes an output circuit having a plurality of unit buffer circuits, an impedance of each unit buffer circuit of the plurality of unit buffer circuits being adjustable, a control circuit configured to selectively activate one or more unit buffer circuits of the plurality of unit buffer circuits, and an impedance adjustment unit configured to adjust the impedance of each of the unit buffer circuits of the plurality of unit buffer circuits. The impedance adjustment unit includes a first power line, a replica circuit, and a load current generation circuit. The replica circuit and the load current generation circuit are coupled in common to the first power line, the replica circuit has a replica impedance that is substantially equal to the impedance of the output circuit, and the load current generation circuit changes current flowing therethrough.

The present application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/649,060 filed on Oct. 10, 2012, which is basedon and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-223741,filed on Oct. 11, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device that includes animpedance adjustment unit.

2. Description of Related Art

As a data transfer speed between semiconductor devices increases,impedance of an output circuit is needed to become more accurate.

In particular, some DRAMS, which are one type of semiconductor memory,are so formed as to be able to change the impedance of an output circuitthereof at the time of data outputting in accordance with the impedanceof a data bus connected to the DRAMs.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-203405 showsa semiconductor device including an impedance adjustment unit that isdesigned to adjust the impedance of an output circuit. Morespecifically, the output circuit includes a plurality of unit buffercircuits; an impedance adjustment unit provided in common to the unitbuffer circuits to adjust the impedances of the unit buffer circuits incommon to a desired impedance. By changing the number of unit buffercircuits that are activated at the time of data outputting, the outputcircuit drives an output terminal with a required impedance.

The impedance adjustment unit uses a replica circuit corresponding toone unit buffer circuit to adjust the impedances of the unit buffercircuits in common. Meanwhile, the output circuit uses one or more unitbuffer circuits to drive the output terminal. In this manner, if theoutput circuit uses two or more unit buffer circuits to drive the outputterminal, the number of the unit buffer circuits that actually drive theoutput terminal is not reflected in the impedance adjustment unit. Inthe output circuit, according to the number of the unit buffer circuitsactivated, the voltage drop (and voltage rise) between a power supplyline and a unit buffer circuit varies. Therefore, in the impedanceadjustment process of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2006-203405, there is concern that the impedance of the output circuitcould deviate from the required impedance.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a semiconductordevice comprising an output circuit having a plurality of unit buffercircuits, wherein an impedance of each unit buffer circuit of theplurality of unit buffer circuits is adjustable; a control circuitconfigured to selectively activate one or more unit buffer circuits ofthe plurality of unit buffer circuits; and an impedance adjustment unitconfigured to adjust the impedance of each of the unit buffer circuitsof the plurality of unit buffer circuits, wherein the impedanceadjustment unit comprises a first power line, a replica circuit, and aload current generation circuit, and wherein the replica circuit and theload current generation circuit are coupled in common to the first powerline, the replica circuit has a replica impedance that is substantiallyequal to the impedance of the output circuit, and the load currentgeneration circuit changes current flowing therethrough in accordancewith a number of the activated one or more unit buffer circuits of theplurality of unit buffer circuits, and wherein the load currentgeneration circuit comprises a comparator having an output that is usedto selectively change the current flowing through the load currentgeneration circuit.

In another aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a devicecomprising: a first terminal; a plurality of output buffers coupled incommon to the first terminal; an output control circuit receiving afirst control signal and activating one or ones of the output buffers inresponse to the first control signal; and an impedance adjustment unitincluding a replica circuit, a plurality of current generation circuitsand a power line, the replica circuit and the current generationcircuits beiNg coupled in common to the power line, the impedanceadjustment unit adjusting an impedance of each of the output buffers inresponse to an impedance of the replica circuit, the impedanceadjustment unit further including a current control circuit receivingthe first control signal and activating one or ones of the currentgeneration circuits in response to the first control signal.

In still another aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a systemcomprising a control device and a memory device coupled to the controldevice. The memory device comprising; a first terminal coupled to thecontrol device; a plurality of output buffers coupled in common to thefirst terminal; an output control circuit receiving a first controlsignal and activating one or ones of the output buffers in response tothe first control signal; and an impedance adjustment unit including areplica circuit, a plurality of current generation circuits and a powerline. The replica circuit and the current generation circuits arecoupled in common to the power line. The impedance adjustment unitadjusts an impedance of each of the output buffers in response to animpedance of the replica circuit. The impedance adjustable circuitfurther includes a current control circuit receiving the first controlsignal and activating one or ones of the current generation circuits inresponse to the first control signal.

According to the present invention, the impedance adjustment unitchanges the quantity of current flowing through the impedance adjustmentunit in accordance with the number of unit buffer circuits selectivelyactivated, in the load current generation circuit that is connected inparallel to the replica circuit. Therefore, the impedance of the replicacircuit is adjusted in accordance with the number of unit buffercircuits. The result of adjusting the impedance of the replica circuit,which is adjusted in accordance with the number of unit buffers, isreflected in the process of adjusting the impedance of the outputcircuit. As a result, it is possible to improve the accuracy ofadjusting the impedance of the output circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the semiconductor device;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing configuration of the data input/outputunit;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the unit buffer;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the pre-stage circuit;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing configuration of the impedanceadjustment circuit;

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the pull-up circuit and the load currentselection circuit;

FIGS. 7A-7B are circuit diagrams of the pull-up circuit and pull-downcircuit;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining calibration process;

FIGS. 9A-9B are graphs showing potential transitions at the calibrationterminal ZQ and contact A during calibration;

FIGS. 10A-10B are diagrams for explaining Ron deviation of the outputbuffer based on the number of unit buffers;

FIGS. 11A-11C are diagrams for explaining Ron deviation of the outputbuffer based on the number of unit buffers;

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of the pull-up circuit and the load currentselection circuit;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the semiconductor device;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing configuration of the datainput/output unit;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing configuration of the impedanceadjustment circuit;

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram of the pull-up circuit and the load currentselection circuit; and

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the memory system in one embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The invention will be now described herein with reference toillustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize thatmany alternative embodiments can be accomplished using the teaching ofthe present invention and that the invention is not limited to theembodiments illustrated for explanatory purpose.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a semiconductor device10 at a time when the present invention is applied to a semiconductordevice, or to a SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) thatoperates in synchronization with a clock signal supplied from outside,for example. Incidentally, all the circuit blocks shown in FIG. 1 areformed on the same semiconductor chip made of single crystal silicon.For example, the circuit blocks each are made up of a plurality oftransistors, such as PMOS transistors (P-channel MOS transistors) andNMOS transistors (N-channel MOS transistors). Those indicated by symbol◯(circle) are pads that serve as external terminals provided on thesemiconductor chip.

The semiconductor device 10 includes a memory cell array 20, a controlcircuit 21, a mode register 22, and a data input/output unit 100.

The data input/output unit 100, which is one of the features of thesemiconductor device 10 of the present invention, has a DS function. TheDS (Driver Strengthen) function is of adjusting the impedance of anoutput buffer at the time of data outputting. The semiconductor device10 enables the DS function by changing the number of unit buffersactivated in accordance with an impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> (or animpedance setting signal). The unit buffers make up the output buffer.

The DS function will be detailed later. First, the following outlinesthe semiconductor device 10.

The semiconductor device 10 includes the following as external terminals(or pads on the semiconductor chip): command terminals 12 a, addressterminals 13, data terminals DQ0 to DQn, and a calibration terminal ZQ.The semiconductor device 10 also includes other external terminals, suchas clock terminals and power supply terminals; the other externalterminals, however, are not shown in the diagram because the otherexternal terminals are substantially unrelated to the present invention.

The command terminals 12 a collectively represent terminals to which arow address strobe signal /RAS, a column address strobe signal /CAS, awrite enable signal /WE, a chip select signal /CS, and any other signalare supplied, for example. A combination of signals input into the aboveterminals makes up a command signal CMD. The command terminals 12 a areconnected to the control circuit 21.

The address terminals 13 are terminals to which address signals ADD aresupplied, and are connected to the control circuit 21.

The data terminals DQ are terminals for outputting read data andinputting write data, and are connected to the data input/output unit100. The data input/output unit 100 is also connected to the calibrationterminal ZQ. A calibration operation (described later) in the datainput/output unit 100 is carried out after an external resistance isconnected to the calibration terminal ZQ.

The memory cell array 20 includes a plurality of word lines, a pluralityof bit lines, and a plurality of memory cells; the memory cells aredisposed at the intersections of the word and bit lines.

The control circuit 21 supplies various operation control signals ICNT,which are used to control an operation of the memory cell array 20, tothe memory cell array 20 in accordance with a command signal CMDsupplied from outside via the command terminals 12 a, and addresssignals ADD supplied from outside via the address terminals 13.

By supplying various operation control signals ICNT to the memory cellarray 20, the control circuit 21 controls a read operation and a writeoperation: the read operation is reading data from memory cells in thememory cell array 20; and the write operation is writing data to memorycells.

More specifically, when the command signal CMD is a read command (RDcommand), the control circuit 21 supplies an output enable signal OE tothe data input/output unit 100; the control circuit 21 also controls thememory cell array 20 in such a way that data of a memory cell specifiedby address signals ADD are output to the data input/output unit 100 asdata “Data”. When the command signal CMD is a write command (WTcommand), the control circuit 21 controls the data input/output unit 100and the memory cell array 20 in such a way that data “Data” accepted bythe data input/output unit 100 from outside are written into a memorycell specified by address signals ADD among the memory cells of thememory cell array 20.

When a command indicating the execution of a calibration operation (orCAL command) is supplied from outside via the command terminals 12 a asa command signal CMD, the control circuit 21 supplies a control signalsACT1 and ACT2 to the data input/output unit 100.

When a mode register set command (MRS command) is supplied from outsidevia the command terminals 12 a as a command signal CMD, the controlcircuit 21 supplies to the mode register 22 the address signals ADD thatare supplied to the address terminals 13 at a time when the MRS commandis supplied, along with the mode register set signal MRS.

The mode register 22 (MR) changes various settings of the semiconductordevice 10 in accordance with a mode register set signal MRS suppliedfrom the control circuit 21 and address signals ADD. More specifically,in the case of FIG. 1, the mode register 22 supplies to the datainput/output unit 100 an impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> to set theimpedances of output circuits of the data input/output unit 100. Asdescribed later, the impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> is used at a timewhen data are output in the data input/output unit 100, or a signal thatspecifies the number of unit buffers activated at a time when data areoutput during a read operation.

Incidentally, according to the present embodiment, for example, amongthe address signals ADD, the logic level of an address signal A1corresponds and is equal to the logic level of an impedance setting codeRon <0> in the impedance setting code Ron <1, 0>; the logic level of anaddress signal A5 corresponds and is equal to the logic level of animpedance setting code Ron <1>. The mode register 22 outputs to the datainput/output unit 100 an H-level (high-level) or L-level (low-level)impedance setting code Ron <0> in response to a H-level or L-level ofaddress signal A1; and an H-level or L-level impedance setting code Ron<1> in response to a H-level or L-level of address signal A5.

When the command supplied to the control circuit 21 is an RD command,and when the memory cell array 20 is performing a read operation, thedata input/output unit 100 receives data “Data” supplied from the memorycell array 20, and outputs the received data “Data” to outside via thedata terminals DQ0 to DQn (Data output operation). At this time, thedata input/output unit 100 controls the number of unit buffers drivingthe data terminals DQ0 to DQn at the time of data outputting inaccordance with an impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> supplied from themode register 22. When the command supplied to the control circuit 21 isa WT command, and when the memory cell array 20 is performing a writeoperation, the data input/output unit 100 supplies data “Data” inputfrom outside via the data terminals DQ0 to DQn to the memory cell array20.

The data input/output unit 100 is connected to the calibration terminalZQ. The calibration terminal ZQ is connected to an impedance adjustmentresistance (or external resistance RZQ) of a desired resistance value.The data input/output unit 100 adjusts the impedance of the datainput/output unit 100 in accordance with the external resistance RZQ.Incidentally, impedance adjustment activation signals (control signalsACT1 and ACT2) that are supplied from the control circuit 21 to the datainput/output unit 100 are used to control the execution of an impedanceadjustment operation of the data input/output unit 100.

The following describes the data input/output unit 100 with reference toFIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the datainput/output unit 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the data input/output unit100 includes a first output buffer 110 and a second output buffer 120,which are connected to a data terminal DQ; an impedance adjustment unit130, which is connected to the calibration terminal ZQ; and an inputbuffer 170, which is connected to the data terminal DQ. Incidentally,the input buffer 170 is activated at a time when data are input.However, the configuration of the input buffer 170 and the details of adata input operation are not related directly to the fundamentals of thepresent invention, and therefore will not be described. In the presentspecification, suppose that an output buffer 101 of the datainput/output unit 100 is made up of the first output buffer 110 and thesecond output buffer 120.

The first output buffer 110, which makes up the output buffer 101,includes four unit buffers 111 to 114 that are connected in parallel.The second output buffer 120, which makes up the output buffer 101,includes three unit buffers 121 to 123 that are connected in parallel.The unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123 are used to drive the dataterminal DQ during a read operation, and are connected in parallel withrespect to the data terminal DQ as shown in FIG. 2. The unit buffers 111to 114 and 121 to 123 have the same circuit configuration; in oneexample, the impedances of all the unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to123 are set to 240Ω (which is the value after adjustment) according tothe present embodiment. The impedances can be adjusted by an impedancecontrol signal DRZQ (code) generated by the impedance adjustment unit130 during a calibration operation (described later).

Accordingly, for example, when all the unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121to 123 are activated, the impedance (target value) of the output buffer101 when seen from the data terminal DQ is about 34.3Ω (=240Ω/7).Moreover, for example, when the four unit buffers 111 to 114 of thefirst output buffer and the two unit buffers 121 and 122 of the secondoutput buffer become activated, without activating the unit buffer 123of the second output buffer, the impedance (target value) of the outputbuffer 101 when seen from the data terminal DQ is 40Ω (=240Ω/6).

However, the resistance of a power supply line to which a plurality ofthe unit buffers are connected in common varies depending on the numberof unit buffers activated. Accordingly, the impedances of a plurality ofthe unit buffer circuits activated each differ from a predetermined setvalue (240Ω in this case), which has been adjusted during a calibrationoperation, at the time of data outputting or at any other time. As aresult, the impedance of the output buffer 101 deviates from the targetvalue. For example, in the case of the above example, when all the unitbuffers (seven in this case) are selectively activated, the voltage ofthe power supply line to which the unit buffers each are connected incommon is more likely to drop than when one unit buffer is selectivelyactivated. During a calibration operation, with the use of a replicabuffer equivalent to one unit buffer, the impedances of a plurality ofthe unit buffers each are set to 240Ω. Therefore, when seven unitbuffers are selectively activated, the impedances of the unit buffersbecome higher than the adjusted 240Ω; as a result, the impedance of theoutput buffer 101 is set to a higher value than about 34.3Ω, which isthe target. In this manner, depending on the number of unit buffersselectively activated, the impedances could differ from a predeterminedset value (240Ω in this case), which has been adjusted in advance, atthe time of data outputting or at any other time. As a result, theimpedance of the output buffer 101 deviates from the target value.

Accordingly, the impedance adjustment unit 130 generates an impedancecontrol signal DRZQ on the basis of the number of unit buffersactivated, and then supplies the impedance control signal DRZQ to theoutput buffer 101, thereby bringing the impedance of the output buffer101 closer to the target value. The impedance adjustment unit 130receives from the mode register 22 an impedance setting code Ron <1, 0>as the number of unit buffer circuits activated; generates an impedancecontrol signal DRZQ (or an impedance adjustment signal) on the basis ofthe setting code; and supplies the impedance control signal DRZQ to aplurality of unit buffers (unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123) viapre-stage circuits 161 to 163, thereby adjusting the impedances of aplurality of the unit buffers.

The operation of the unit buffers 111 to 114 is controlled by operationsignals 161P and 161N, which are supplied from the pre-stage circuit161. The operation of the unit buffers 121 and 122 is controlled byoperation signals 162P and 162N, which are supplied from the pre-stagecircuit 162. The operation of the unit buffer 123 is controlled byoperation signals 163P and 163N, which are supplied from the pre-stagecircuit 163.

The pre-stage circuits 161 to 163 specify output transistors from amonga plurality of output transistors (described later) contained in thecorresponding unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123 to turn on. Anoperation of turning the output transistors ON (conductive) or OFF(non-conductive) is controlled by operation signals 161P to 163P andoperation signals 161N to 163N. As shown in FIG. 2, to the pre-stagecircuits 161 to 163, an impedance control signal DRZQ is supplied incommon from the impedance adjustment unit 130. Moreover, from an outputcontrol circuit 150, selection signals 151P to 153P and selectionsignals 151N to 153N are individually supplied.

The output control circuit 150 specifies unit buffers from among aplurality of unit buffers 111 to 11 n to activate, and also specifies anoutput level for driving the DQ terminal. The unit buffers to beactivated are specified in the following manner: the output controlcircuit 150 receives an impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> from the moderegister 22, and then outputs, on the basis of the setting code, theselection signals 151P to 153P and the selection signals 151N to 153N tothe pre-stage circuits 161 to 163. The output level of a unit bufferactivated is determined based on data “Data” supplied from the memorycell array 20 in the case of a read operation.

Hereinafter, the circuit blocks that make up the data input/output unit100 each will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the unit buffer 111. As shown in FIG. 3,the unit buffer 111 includes plural (five in this embodiment) P-channelMOS transistors 211 to 215 connected in parallel, plural (five in thisembodiment) N-channel MOS transistors 221 to 225 connected in parallel,and resistors 231 and 232 that are connected in series between thetransistors 211 to 215 and the transistors 221 to 225. A contact pointbetween the resistor 231 and the resistor 232 is connected to the datapin DQ. Of the unit buffer 111, a part including the P-channel MOStransistors 211 to 215 and the resistor 231 constitutes a pull-upcircuit PU. A part including the N-channel MOS transistors 221 to 225and the resistor 232 constitutes a pull-down circuit PD.

Five operation signals 161P1 to 161P5 that constitute the operationsignal 161P are supplied respectively to the gates of the transistors211 to 215. Five operation signals 161N1 to 161N5 that constitute theoperation signal 161N are supplied respectively to the gates of thetransistors 221 to 225. Based on this arrangement, the ten transistorsthat are included in the unit buffer 111 can be individually on/offcontrolled based on the ten operation signals including the operationsignals 161P1 to 161P5 and the operation signals 161N1 to 161N5.

The parallel circuit including the transistors 211 to 215, and theparallel circuit including the transistors 221 to 225 are designed tohave resistance of 120Ω during the conduction time. However, the onresistance of the transistors varies depending on manufacturingconditions, and also varies depending on the ambient temperature and thepower supply voltage during the operation. Therefore, desired impedanceis not always obtained. In order to set 120Ω to the impedance, thenumber of transistors to be turned on needs to be adjusted. For thispurpose, the parallel circuits including plural transistors are used. Inorder to adjust the impedance finely and in a wide range, it ispreferable to mutually differentiate a W/L ratio (a gate width to gatelength ratio) of the plural transistors that constitute the parallelcircuit. Preferably, weight of the power of two is used. Consideringthis point, according to this embodiment, when the W/L ratio of thetransistor 211 is “1”, the W/L ratios of the transistors 212 to 215 areset to “2”, “4”, “8”, and “16”, respectively (The values of the W/Lratios are relative values, and do not represent actual W/L ratios. Thissimilarly applies to the following explanations).

By suitably selecting the transistors to be turned on based on theoperation signals 161P1 to 161P5 and the operation signals 161N1 to161N5, the on resistance of the parallel circuit can be fixed tosubstantially 120Ω, regardless of the variation due to the manufacturingconditions and a temperature change.

The resistances of the resistors 231 and 232 are set to 120Ω,respectively. With this arrangement, when at least one of the parallelcircuit including the transistors 211 to 215 and the parallel circuitincluding the transistors 221 to 225 is in the on state, the impedanceof the unit buffer 111 from the viewpoint of the data pin DQ becomes240Ω. A tungsten (W) resistor can be used for the resistors 231 and 232.

Other unit buffers 112 to 114 that constitute the first output buffer110 also have circuit structures that are the same as that of the unitbuffer 111 shown in FIG. 3, and are controlled by the same operationsignals 161P1 to 161P5 and the operation signals 161N1 to 161N5. On theother hand, other unit buffers 121 to 123 that constitute the secondoutput buffer 120 have the same circuit structures as that of the unitbuffer 111 shown in FIG. 3. However, the operations of the unit buffers121 and 122 are controlled by the operation signals 162P and 162N, andthe operation of the unit buffer 123 is controlled based on theoperation signals 163P and 163N. The operation signals 162P, 162, 163P,and 163N also have five operation signals, respectively, and are used tocontrol the corresponding pull-up circuit UP or the pull-down circuitPD.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the pre-stage circuit 161. As shown inFIG. 4, the pre-stage circuit 161 includes five OR circuits 411 to 415and five AND circuits 421 to 425. An output control circuit 150 suppliesa selection signal 151P in common to the OR circuits 411 to 415, and theimpedance adjustment unit 130 supplies the impedance control signalsDRZQP1 to DRZQP5 to the OR circuits 411 to 415, respectively. On theother hand, the output control circuit 150 supplies the selection signal151N in common to the AND circuits 421 to 425, and the impedanceadjustment circuit 130 supplies the impedance control signals DRZQN1 toDRZQN5 to the AND circuits 421 to 425, respectively.

The operation signals 161P1 to 161P5 that form the operation signal 161Poutput from the OR circuits 411 to 415, and the operation signals 161N1to 161N5 that form the operation signal 161N output from the ANDcircuits 421 to 425, are supplied in common to the unit buffers 111 to114, as shown in FIG. 2, thereby controlling the correspondingtransistors.

The other pre-stage circuits 162 and 163 also have circuitconfigurations similar to those of the pre-stage circuit 161 shown inFIG. 4. In this case, the selection signals 152P and 152N from theoutput control circuit 150 are supplied in common to the OR circuit andthe AND circuit respectively that are included in the pre-stage circuit162. The selection signals 153P and 153N from the output control circuit150 are supplied in common to the OR circuit and the AND circuitrespectively that are included in the pre-stage circuit 163.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the impedance adjustment unit 130. Theimpedance adjustment unit 130 includes a load current selection circuit140, pull-up circuits 131 and 132, pull-down circuit 133. The impedanceadjustment circuit also includes counter 134 for controlling the pull-upcircuit 134, counter 135 for controlling the pull-down circuit 133, acomparator 136 for controlling the counter 134 and a comparator 137 forcontrolling the counter 135.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the load current selection circuit 140and the pull-up circuit 131.

The load current selection circuit 140 includes a logic circuit 140 e,which is a three-input NAND circuit; a logic circuit 140 f, which is athree-input NAND circuit; and an AND circuit 140 g.

To the logic circuit 140 e, the following signals are input: a logicallyinverted signal of an impedance setting code Ron (0); a logicallyinverted signal of an impedance setting code Ron (1); and a controlsignal ACT1.

To the logic circuit 140 f, the following signals are input: animpedance setting code Ron (0); a logically inverted signal of animpedance setting code Ron (1); and a control signal ACT1.

The AND circuit 140 g calculates a logical product of the output signalof the logic circuit 140 e and the conduction control signal RON10, andthen outputs a conduction control signal RON00.

That is, when the impedance setting code Ron (0) is at a L-level, theimpedance setting code Ron (1) at a L-level, and the control signal ACT1at a H-level, the load current selection circuit 140 changes theconduction control signal RON00 from a H-level to a L-level, and keepsthe conduction control signal RON10 at a H-level.

When the impedance setting code Ron (0) is at a H-level, the impedancesetting code Ron (1) at a L-level, and the control signal ACT1 at aH-level, the load current selection circuit 140 changes the conductioncontrol signal RON00 from a H-level to a L-level, and changes theconduction control signal RON10 from a H-level to a L-level.

The pull-up circuit 131 includes a replica circuit 131 e and a loadcurrent generation circuit 131 f.

As shown in FIG. 6, the replica circuit 131 e (replica circuit) hassubstantially the same circuit configuration as the pull-up circuits PUthat the unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123 include. That is, thereplica circuit 131 e includes five PMOS transistors 311 to 315, whichare connected in parallel; and a resistor 331, one end of which isconnected to the drains of the PMOS transistors. The other end of theresistor 331 is connected to the calibration terminal ZQ.

The PMOS transistors 311 to 315 in the replica circuit 131 e correspondto the PMOS transistors 211 to 215 shown in FIG. 3. The PMOS transistors311 to 315 each have the same impedance. Therefore, as in the case ofthe W/L ratios of the PMOS transistors 211 to 215, the W/L ratios of thePMOS transistors 311 to 315 are set to “1,” “2,” “4,” “8,” and “16,”respectively.

The resistor 331, too, corresponds to the resistor 231 shown in FIG. 3.Therefore, the resistance value thereof is set to 120Ω.

To the gates of the PMOS transistors 311 to 315, impedance controlsignals DRZQP1 to DRZQP5 are respectively supplied from the counter 134.As a result, the operation of the replica circuit 131 e is controlled.The impedance control signals DRZQP1 to DRZQP5 correspond to theoperation signals 161P1 to 161P5.

The load current generation circuit 131 f includes two transistors and aresistor. The load current generation circuit 131 f includes seriescircuits 61 to 66, which are connected to a power supply line (VDD) ofthe replica circuit 131 e, a resistor 67R, a resistor 68R, and anoperational amplifier 69.

The series circuits 61 to 66 each are formed by connecting a PMOStransistor (second transistor), a NMOS transistor (first transistor),and a resistor in series: the conduction control signal RON00 or RON10is input into the gate of the PMOS transistor; an output signal of theoperational amplifier 69 is input into the gate of the NMOS transistor.

For example, the series circuit 61 includes a PMOS transistor 61P, aNMOS transistor 61N, and a resistor 61R. The source of the PMOStransistor 61P is connected to the power supply line of the replicacircuit 131 e. The gate of the PMOS transistor 61P is connected to theload current selection circuit 140, and the conduction control signalRON00 is input to the gate. The drain of the PMOS transistor 61P isconnected to the drain of the NMOS transistor 61N. The drain of the NMOStransistor 61N is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor 61P. Thegate of the NMOS transistor 61N is connected to the output of theoperational amplifier 69. The source of the NMOS transistor 61N isconnected to one end (referred to as a connection point Nd61) of theresistor 61R. One end of the resistor 61R is connected to the connectionpoint Nd61, and the other end grounded.

Similarly, the series circuits j (j=62 to 65) each include a PMOStransistor jP, a NMOS transistor jN, and a resistor jR. The source ofthe PMOS transistor jP is connected to the power supply line of thereplica circuit 131 e. The gate of the PMOS transistor jP is connectedto the load current selection circuit 140, and the conduction controlsignal RON00 is input to the gate. The drain of the PMOS transistor jPis connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor jN. The drain of theNMOS transistor jN is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor jP.The gate of the NMOS transistor jN is connected to the output of theoperational amplifier 69. The source of the NMOS transistor jN isconnected to one end of the resistor jR. One end of the resistor jR isconnected to the source of the NMOS transistor jN, and the other endgrounded.

The series circuit 66 includes a PMOS transistor 66P, a NMOS transistor66N, and a resistor 66R. The source of the PMOS transistor 66P isconnected to the power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e. Thegate of the PMOS transistor 66P is connected to the load currentselection circuit 140, and the conduction control signal RON10 is inputto the gate. The drain of the PMOS transistor 66P is connected to thedrain of the NMOS transistor 66N. The drain of the NMOS transistor 66Nis connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor 66P. The gate of theNMOS transistor 66N is connected to the output of the operationalamplifier 69. The source of the NMOS transistor 66N is connected to oneend of the resistor 66R. One end of the resistor 66R is connected to thesource of the NMOS transistor 66N, and the other end grounded.

The resistor 67R (of resistance value R1) and the resistor 68R (ofresistance value R1) make up a voltage-dividing circuit. Thevoltage-dividing circuit outputs a reference voltage of (VDD/2) to annon-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier 69.

Meanwhile, the inverting input terminal (−) of the operational amplifier69 is connected to the connection point Nd61 of the series circuit 61.The operational amplifier 69 adjusts the voltage level of the outputsignal thereof in response to the voltage levels of the two inputterminals and outputs the output signal to the gates of the NMOStransistors 61N to 66N of the series circuits 61 to 66. When the voltagelevel of the connection point Nd61 is lower than the reference voltage(VDD/2), the operational amplifier 69 raises the voltage level of theoutput signal so that a current driving capability of each of the NMOStransistors 61N to 66N increases. When the voltage level of theconnection point Nd61 is higher than the reference voltage (VDD/2), theoperational amplifier 69 lowers the voltage level of the output signalso that the current driving capability of each of the NMOS transistors61N to 66N decreases.

In this manner, the resistance value R2 of the resistor 61R of theseries circuit 61 is set to the same value as the external resistanceRZQ. Therefore, the value of the current flowing through the resistor61R (indicated by i in the diagram) can be substantially equal to thevalue of the current that flows through the external resistance RZQ at atime when the voltage level of the calibration terminal ZQ is (VDD/2).During a calibration operation, to the replica circuit 131 e, impedancecontrol signals DRZQP (DRZQP1 to DRZQP5) are input; the impedancecontrol signals DRZQP are adjusted in such a way that the voltage levelof the calibration terminal ZQ comes to (VDD/2). In the resistor 61R,the operational amplifier 69 operates to adjust the current drivingcapability of the NMOS transistor 61N, thereby bringing the voltagelevel of one end of the resistor 61R to (VDD/2). As a result, the valuei of the current flowing through the resistor 61R is substantially equalto the current value of the external resistance RZQ.

In that manner, in the series circuit 61, the PMOS transistor 61P isturned ON during the calibration operation. Therefore, the current whosecurrent value i is substantially equal to that of the current flowingfrom the power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e to the groundvia the external resistance RZQ connected to the calibration terminal ZQflows through the series circuit 61. In this manner, the voltage levelof the power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e is decreased.

The resistance values of the resistors in the other series circuits areset to the same resistance value R2 of the series circuit 61.

That is, during the calibration operation, a L-level conduction controlsignal RON00 is output from the load current selection circuit 140 tothe load current generation circuit 131 f, thereby operating five seriescircuits 61 to 65 in total. Therefore, when the six unit buffers shownin FIG. 2, or the unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 122, are activatedin total, it is possible to cause a drop in the voltage level of thepower supply line of the replica circuit 131 e that is akin in magnitudeto a drop in the voltage level of the power supply line to which theabove unit buffers are connected.

Moreover, the L-level conduction control signal RON00 and the L-levelconduction control signal RON10 are output from the load currentselection circuit 140 to the load current generation circuit 131 f,thereby operating six series circuits 61 to 66 in total. Therefore, whenthe seven unit buffers shown in FIG. 2, or the unit buffers 111 to 114and 121 to 122 and 123, are activated in total, it is possible to causea drop in the voltage level of the power supply line of the replicacircuit 131 e that is substantially equal in voltage level to a drop inthe voltage level of the power supply line to which the above unitbuffers are connected.

In that manner, the load current generation circuit 131 f changes,during the calibration operation, the current flowing therethroughdepending on the number of unit buffers activated during the dataoutputting, thereby causing a voltage drop on the power supply line ofthe replica circuit 131 e that is substantially equal in voltage levelto a drop in the voltage level of the power supply line to which theactivated unit buffers are connected. Therefore, the impedance controlsignals DRZQ, which are determined during the calibration operation, canbe adjusted in such a way as to reflect the number of unit buffersactivated.

Incidentally, when the unit buffers and a power supply line to which theunit buffers are connected are arranged substantially same layoutconfiguration to the load current generation circuit 131 f, the replicacircuit 131 e, and a power supply line to which the load currentgeneration circuit 131 f and the replica circuit 131 e are connected,the resistance value R2 may be set equal to the resistance value of theresistance RZQ as described above. However, when the layoutconfigurations of both are different, the resistance value R2 may be setto a different value than the resistance value of the resistance RZQ byrunning a circuit simulation in such a way as to reflect each layoutconfiguration.

FIGS. 7A-7B are circuit diagrams of the pull-up circuit 132 and thepull-down circuit 133, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the pull-up circuit 132 has a circuit structuresubstantially the same as that of the pull-up circuit PU in FIG. 3. Thegates of five PMOS transistors in the pull-up circuit 132 is suppliedwith the impedance control signals DRZQP1 to DRZQP5.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the pull-down circuit 133 has a circuit structuresubstantially the same as that of the pull-down circuit PD included inthe unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123, respectively. In otherwords, the pull-down circuit 132 includes five N-channel MOS transistors321 to 325 that are connected in parallel, and a resistor 332 of whichone end is connected to drains of these transistors. The transistors 321to 325 included in the pull-down circuit 133 correspond to thetransistors 221 to 225 shown in FIG. 3, and have the same impedance,respectively. The configuration of the pull-down circuit 133 is similarto that of the pull-up circuit 131, in this respect. The resistor 332also corresponds to the resistor 232 shown in FIG. 3. Therefore,resistance of the resistor 332 is also set to 120 Ω.

The counter 135 supplies impedance control signals DRZQN1 to DRZQN5 tothe gates of the transistors 321 to 325, respectively, therebycontrolling the pull-down circuit 133. The impedance control signalsDRZQN1 to DRZQN5 correspond to the operation signals 161N1 to 161N5.

As explained above, the replica circuit 131 e of the pull-up circuit 131and the pull-up circuit 132 have substantially the same circuitstructures as that of the pull-up circuit PU included in the unitbuffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123, respectively. The pull-down circuit133 has substantially the same circuit structure as that of thepull-down circuit PD included in the unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to123, respectively. The impedances of these replica circuits 131 e, 132,the pull-down circuit 133 are adjusted in accordance with the number ofactivated unit buffers during the calibration process.

Returning to FIG. 5, a non-inverted input terminal (+) of the comparator137 is connected to a contact node A at which the pull-up circuit 132and the pull-down circuit 133 are connected to each other.

The counter 134 counts up or counts down when a control signal ACT1 isactivated. When a comparison signal COMP1 that is output from thecomparator 136 is at a high level, the counter 134 continues countingup, and when the signal COMP1 is at a low level, the counter 134continues counting down. A noninverted input terminal (+) of thecomparator 136 is connected to the calibration pin ZQ, and a noninvertedinput terminal (−) is connected to an intermediate point between theresistors 138 and 139 that is connected to a power supply potential(VDD) and a ground potential (GND). Based on this structure, thecomparator 136 compares the potential of the calibration pin ZQ with theintermediate voltage (VDD/2). When the former potential is higher, theoutput comparison signal COMP1 is set to a high level. When the latterpotential is higher, the comparison signal COMP1 is set to a low level.

On the other hand, the counter 135 counts up or counts down when acontrol signal ACT2 is activated. When a comparison signal COMP2 that isoutput from the comparator 137 is at a high level, the counter 135continues counting up, and when the signal COMP2 is at a low level, thecounter 135 continues counting down. A non-inverted input terminal (+)of the comparator 137 is connected to a contact node A as the output endof the replica buffer, and a non-inverted input terminal (−) isconnected to an intermediate point between the resistors 138 and 139.Based on this structure, the comparator 137 compares the outputpotential of the replica buffer with the intermediate voltage (VDD/2).When the former potential is higher, the output comparison signal COMP2is set to a high level. When the latter potential is higher, thecomparison signal COMP2 is set to a low level.

When the control signals ACT1 and ACT2 are inactivated, the counters 134and 135 stop the count operation, and hold the current count value. Asdescribed above, the count value of the counter 134 is used for theimpedance control signal DRZQP, and the count value of the counter 135is used for the impedance control signal DRZQN. The collective impedancecontrol signal DRZQ, which is adjusted based on the number of activatedunit buffers by the load current generation circuit 131 f in thecalibration process, is supplied in common to the pre-stage circuits 161to 163 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

The described above is the configuration of the data input/output unit100 of the present embodiment. The operation of the data input/outputunit 100 will be described especially in calibration and data outputoperations in series with reference to the FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the calibration operation. FIG. 9is a graph showing a change of potential at the calibration pin ZQ,contact node A during the calibration operation;

[Calibration Operation]

The calibration operation is for adjusting the impedance of the outputbuffers 101, as described above. The calibration operation is carriedout to correct variations of the impedance due to process conditions atthe manufacturing time, and to correct changes of the impedance due tochanges in the ambient temperature and variations in the power supplyvoltage. Therefore, when high precision is required, it is preferable toperiodically execute the calibration operation during the actualoperation, instead of carrying out the calibration operation only onceat the power up time or the initialization time such as the resettingtime. The output circuit 100 according to this embodiment isparticularly effective when the calibration operation is periodicallyexecuted during the actual operation as explained above. The calibrationoperation is explained in detail below.

In executing the calibration operation, first, the external resistor RZQneeds to be connected to the calibration pin ZQ (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 5).The external resistor RZQ needs to have impedance that is the same asthe impedance (i.e., the impedance of a replica buffer) required for theunit buffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123. Therefore, in this embodiment,the external resistor RZQ having 240Ω is used.

Moreover, suppose that, before a calibration command (CAL command) issupplied to the semiconductor device 10 as a command signal CMD toinstruct the semiconductor device 10 to perform a calibration operation,a mode register command (MRS command) is supplied to the semiconductordevice 10 as a command signal CMD. Furthermore, suppose that, to thesemiconductor device 10, together with the MRS command, a mode settingcode (or a DS setting code=[0, 1] including a code [A5, A1]) is suppliedas an address signal ADD through the address terminals 13; and that themode register 22 keeps the impedance setting code Ron <0> at a H-levelin the impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> while changing the impedancesetting code Ron <1> from a H-level to a L-level, and outputs each codeto the data input/output unit 100.

First, when the calibration operation is instructed by a CAL command(step S11: YES), the control signal ACT1 is activated, and the counter134 included in the impedance adjustment unit 130 starts a countoperation (step S12). In the initialization state before the controlsignal ACT1 is activated, the count value of the counter 134 is allreset to 1 (“5′b11111” in this example). Therefore, the inductancecontrol signals DRZQP1 to DRZQP5 are all at the high level.Consequently, the transistors 311 to 315 that are included in thereplica circuit 131 e in the pull-up circuit 131 are all in the offstate. As a result, the comparison signal COMP1 that is the output ofthe comparator 136 is at the low level.

Therefore, the counter 134 continues counting down. The on/off state ofthe transistors 311 to 315 is switched over linked to the count-down.Specifically, because the W/L ratios of the transistors 311 to 315 areset to “1”, “2”, “4”, “8”, and “16”, respectively, the least significantbit (LSB) of the counter 134 is allocated to the impedance controlsignal DRZQP 1, and the most significant bit (MSB) of the counter 134 isallocated to the impedance control signal DRZQP5. With this arrangement,the impedance of the pull-up circuit 131 can be changed at a minimumpitch.

The load current selection circuit 140 brings both the conductioncontrol signals RON00 and RON10 to a L-level in accordance with theimpedance setting code Ron <1, 0>. As a result, all the series circuits61 to 66 of the load current generation circuit 131 f operate, therebydecreasing the voltage level of the power supply line that suppliespower to the replica circuit 131 e in accordance with the number of unitbuffers activated (seven in this case) along with the replica circuit131 e.

When the count-down continues, the impedance of the replica circuit 131e gradually decreases, and the potential of the calibration pin ZQgradually increases. When the impedance of the replica circuit 131 edecreases to less than the target impedance 240Ω, the potential of thecalibration pin ZQ exceeds the intermediate voltage (VDD/2). Therefore,the comparison signal COMP1 that is output from the comparator 136 isinverted to a high level. In response to this, the counter 134 continuescounting up, thereby increasing the impedance of the pull-up circuit 131e this time.

By repeating this operation, the potential of the calibration pin ZQ isstabilized near the intermediate voltage (VDD/2). Thereafter, thecontrol signal ACT1 is inactivated, thereby stopping the count operationof the counter 134 (step S13). The load current selection circuit 140high-activates connection control signals RON 00 and RON 10, PMOStransistor (second transistor) is set to off in any of DC circuits 61 to66 in the load current generation circuit 131 f and the load currentgeneration circuit 131 f is electrically cut off from the lines of thereplica circuit 131 e. As a result, the count value of the counter 134is fixed, and the levels of the impedance control signals DRZQP1 toDRZQP5 are firmed.

Based on the above operation, the impedances of the replica circuit 131e and pull-up circuit 132 are adjusted in accordance with the number ofactivated unit buffers. In this case, the initial value of the counter134 can be a set value of 240Ω, instead of all one, and this value canbe adjusted by counting up or counting down according to the level ofthe comparison signal COMP1.

The control signal ACT2 is then activated, thereby starting the countoperation of the counter 135 included in the impedance adjustment unit130 (step S14). In the initial state before the control signal ACT1 isactivated, the count value of the counter 135 is reset to all zero(“5′b00000” in this example), as an example. Therefore, the impedancecontrol signals DRZQP1 to DRZQP5 that are output from the counter 135are all at the low level. Consequently, the transistors 321 to 325included in the pull-down circuit 133 are all in the off state. As aresult, the comparison signal COMP2 that is output from the comparator137 becomes at a high level.

In response to this, the counter 135 continues the count up. The on/offstate of the transistors 321 to 325 is switched over linked to thiscount up. In this case, the W/L ratios of the transistors 321 to 325 areset to “1”, “2”, “4”, “8”, and “16”, respectively. Corresponding tothese W/L ratios, the least significant bit (LSB) of the counter 135 isallocated to the impedance control signal DRZQN1, and the mostsignificant bit (MSB) of the counter 135 is allocated to the impedancecontrol signal DRZQN5. With this arrangement, the impedance of thepull-down circuit 133 can be changed at a minimum pitch.

When the count up continues, the impedance of the pull-down circuit 133gradually decreases, and as shown in FIG. 9B, the potential of the nodeA gradually decreases. When the impedance of the pull-down circuit 133decreases to less than the target impedance 240Ω, the potential of thenode A becomes lower than the intermediate voltage (VDD/2). Therefore,the comparison signal COMP2 that is output from the comparator 137 isinverted to a low level. In response to this, the counter 135 continuesthe count-down, thereby increasing the impedance of the pull-downcircuit 133 this time.

By repeating this operation, the potential of the contact node A isstabilized near the intermediate voltage (VDD/2). Thereafter, thecontrol signal ACT2 is inactivated, thereby stopping the count operationof the counter 135 (step S15). As a result, the count value of thecounter 135 is fixed, and the levels of the impedance control signalsDRZQN1 to DRZQN5 are firmed. Based on the above operation, the impedanceof the pull-down circuit 133 is also adjusted in accordance with thenumber of unit buffers same as the replica circuit 131 e and pull-upcircuit 132. In this case, the initial value of the counter 135 can be aset value of 240Ω, instead of all zero, and this value can be adjustedby counting up or counting down according to the level of the comparisonsignal COMP2.

The process returns to step S11, and the instruction for the calibrationoperation based on a CAL command is awaited. When the calibrationoperation is instructed (step S11: YES), the above series of operationis carried out again. The above is the calibration operation. Theimpedance control signal DRZQ that is firmed by the calibrationoperation is supplied in common to the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Therefore, the unit buffers 111 to 114 and 121to 123 that are controlled by the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163 can alsooperate accurately in the impedance which is adjusted in accordance withthe number of activated unit buffers. In other words, the plurality ofunit buffers can be collectively calibrated.

When a DS setting code [00], along with the MRS command, is supplied tothe semiconductor device 10 before a CAL command is supplied to instructthe semiconductor device 10 to perform a calibration operation, the moderegister 22 changes the impedance setting code Ron<0> from a H-level toa Low-level, and the impedance setting code Ron<1> from a H-level to aLow-level, and outputs each of the codes to the data input/output unit100. In this case, during a period of time when the control signal ACT1is at an activity level, the load current selection circuit 140 changesthe conduction control signal RON00 to a L-level and the conductioncontrol signal RON10 to a H-level in accordance with the impedancesetting code Ron<1, 0>. As a result, the series circuits 61 to 65 of theload current generation circuit 131 f operate. Together with the replicacircuit 131 e, the load current generation circuit 131 f decreases thevoltage level of the power supply line that supplies power to thereplica circuit 131 e in accordance with the number of unit buffersactivated (six in this case). Therefore, the unit buffers 111 to 114 and121 to 122, which are controlled by the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163,are able to operate after the impedances of the unit buffers 111 to 114and 121 to 122 are adjusted in accordance with the number of unitbuffers activated (six in this case).

[Data Output Operation]

The following describes a data output operation.

After a read command is supplied from a memory controller, the outputcontrol circuit 150 activates one or ones of the unit buffers 111 to 114and 121 to 123 of the output buffer 101. The number of activated unitbuffers is designated by a DS setting code supplied from the moderegister 22. The activated unit buffers, or the one or ones of the unitbuffers, drive a corresponding data terminal DQ to a logic levelcorresponding to “Data” supplied from the memory cell array 20. In thiscase, one of the pull-up circuit PU and pull-down circuit PD of each ofthe activated unit buffers drives the corresponding data terminal withthe impedance based on an impedance control signal DRZQ supplied fromthe impedance adjustment unit 130.

Incidentally, the data output operation needs to be performed after theabove-described calibration operation is carried out at least once,thereby ensuring that the operation is carried out with the correctimpedance.

As described above, the semiconductor device 10 includes an outputcircuit (output buffer 101), which includes a plurality of unit buffercircuits whose impedances each are adjustable; a control circuit (outputcontrol circuit 150), which selectively activates one or ones of theunit buffer circuits; and an impedance adjustment unit (impedanceadjustment unit 130), which is an impedance adjustment unit that adjuststhe impedances of the plurality of unit buffer circuits, and whichincludes a replica circuit (replica circuit 131 e) that has the replicaimpedance that is substantially equal to impedance of each of the unitbuffer circuits, and a load current generation circuit (load currentgeneration circuit 131 f) that is connected in parallel to the replicacircuit and changes the quantity of current flowing therethrough inaccordance with the number of unit buffer circuits selectively activatedby the control circuit.

Therefore, the impedance of the replica circuit 131 e is adjustedaccording to the number of unit buffer circuits selectively activated.The impedance adjustment result of the replica circuit is reflected inthe process of adjusting the impedances of unit buffer circuits thatmake up the output buffer 101 (output circuit). As a result, the numberof the unit buffer circuits is reflected in the process of adjusting theimpedance of the output circuit. Therefore, it is possible to improvethe accuracy of adjusting the impedance of the output circuit.

Hereinafter, as for suppression of the impedance deviation ΔRon (Rondeviation) of the output buffer 101 that is attributable to the numberof unit buffer circuits activated, the advantageous effects achieved bythe present invention will be described based on experimental results.

FIGS. 10A-10B and 11A-11C are diagrams illustrating the impedancedeviation ΔRon relative to the number of unit buffer circuits.

In the cases of FIG. 10A and FIGS. 11A-11C, the present invention is notapplied; FIG. 10A and FIGS. 11A-11C show the impedance deviation ΔRon ata time when one, two, four, or seven unit buffers in the output buffer101 are activated. In the case of FIG. 10B, the present invention isapplied; FIG. 10B shows the impedance deviation ΔRon at a time when oneor seven unit buffers in the output buffer 101 are activated.

Incidentally, in FIGS. 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B and 11C, the relationshipbetween the impedance control signals DRZQ (ZQ adjustment codes) and theimpedance deviation ΔRon of the replica circuit 131 e that is adjustedby the ZQ adjustment codes is plotted by symbol “square shape”.

In FIGS. 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B and 11C, the impedance deviation ΔRon of theoutput buffer 101 (which corresponds to the DQ circuit (RZQ/1) in thediagrams) at a time when one unit buffer is activated is plotted bysymbol “(black) triangle shape”; the impedance deviation ΔRon of theoutput buffer 101 (which corresponds to the DQ circuit (RZQ/7) or thelike in the diagrams) at a time when a plurality of unit buffers areactivated is plotted by symbol “rhombus shape”.

According to the present embodiment, the impedance deviation ΔRon of thereplica circuit 131 e represents the following in percentage: (theimpedance value of the replica circuit 131 e−240Ω)/240Ω. The impedancedeviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 represents the following inpercentage: (the impedance of the output buffer 101−240 Ω/the number ofunit buffers activated)/(240 Ω/the number of unit buffers activated).Incidentally, “(240Ω/the number of unit buffers activated)” turns out tobe a target impedance of the output buffer 101 after a calibrationoperation, i.e. after the impedance is adjusted by a ZQ adjustment code.

According to the present embodiment, the impedance of the replicacircuit 131 e is adjusted to 240Ω. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 10A,10B, 11A, 11B and 11C, when the ZQ adjustment code=15(=“5′b01111”=“0Fh”), the impedance deviation ΔRon of the replica circuit131 e is substantially 0%. Incidentally, the impedance of the replicacircuit 131 e decreases as the value of the ZQ adjustment code becomeslarger; the impedance deviation ΔRon grows toward the (−) side as aresult. The impedance of the replica circuit 131 e increases as thevalue of the ZQ adjustment code becomes smaller; the impedance deviationΔRon grows toward the (+) side as a result.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, when one unit buffer in the output buffer101 becomes activated, the impedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer101 is substantially equal to the impedance deviation ΔRon of thereplica circuit 131 e. The reason is as follows: During the calibrationoperation, one unit buffer is activated in the output buffer 101, and avoltage drop that occurs on the power supply line of the output buffer101 is therefore substantially equal to a voltage drop that occurs onthe power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e.

However, when the present invention is not applied, as shown in FIG.10A, the impedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 at a timewhen seven unit buffers in the output buffer 101 become activateddiffers significantly from the impedance deviation ΔRon of the replicacircuit 131 e: For example, when the ZQ adjustment code=15, theimpedance deviates toward the (+) side by about 10%. The reason is asfollows: During the calibration operation, seven unit buffer areactivated in the output buffer 101, and a voltage drop that occurs onthe power supply line of the output buffer 101 is therefore larger thana voltage drop that occurs on the power supply line of the replicacircuit 131 e.

As the present invention is applied, as shown in FIG. 10B, there is agreat improvement in the impedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer101 at a time when seven unit buffers in the output buffer 101 becomeactivated, compared with the case where the present invention is notapplied: For example, when the ZQ adjustment code=15, there is animprovement to such a degree that the impedance deviates toward the (+)side by about 4%. The reason is as follows: During the calibrationoperation, the load current generation circuit 131 f causes a voltagedrop on the power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e in accordancewith the number of unit buffers activated in the output buffer 101, anda voltage drop that occurs on the power supply line of the output buffer101 is therefore substantially equal to a voltage drop that occurs onthe power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e.

That is, according to the present invention, the number of unit buffercircuits activated is reflected in the process of adjusting theimpedance of the output circuit, thereby improving the accuracy ofadjusting the impedance of the output circuit.

Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, as the number of unitbuffers activated in the output buffer 101 increases, the percentage ofthe impedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 becomes larger.For example, the following takes a look at the percentage of theimpedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 when the externalresistance RZQ=240Ω, and when the product specifications (Spec) are±10%.

The 10% deviation from Spec at RZQ/1 means 240Ω×10%=24Ω. The 10%deviation from Spec at RZQ/2 means 240Ω×(½)×10%=12Ω. The 10% deviationfrom Spec at RZQ/4 means 240Ω×(¼)×10%=6Ω. The 10% deviation from Spec atRZQ/7 means 240Ω×( 1/7)×10%=3.4Ω.

That is, when the amount of deviation is similarly about 3Ω, there isnot much impact in the case of RZQ/1 because the percentage of thedeviation is as follows: ( 3/24)×10%=1.3%. However, in the case ofRZQ/7, there is a great impact because the percentage of the deviationis as follows: (3/3,4)×10%=8.8%.

According to the present embodiment, what is described as an example isthe process of adjusting the impedance of the replica circuit 131 e,aimed at the situation (RZQ/6, RZQ/7) where the number of unit buffersis increased, or the situation where the percentage of the impedancedeviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 is large.

As described above, even if Code (impedance control signal DRZQ) thathas been adjusted for a large number of unit buffers is used in thesituation (RZQ/2, RZQ/4) where the number of unit buffers is small, thepercentage of the impedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 issmall as described above in the situation where the number of DC buffersis small, thereby having almost no impact. Therefore, according to thepresent invention, while keeping the percentage of the impedancedeviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 substantially at a conventionallevel in the situation where the number of unit buffers activated in theoutput buffer 101 is small, it is possible to make an improvement in thepercentage of the impedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 inthe situation where the number of unit buffers activated in the outputbuffer 101 is large, i.e. the situation where the percentage of theimpedance deviation ΔRon of the output buffer 101 is remarkable.

The load current generation circuit 131 f in the pull-up circuit 131 isnot limited to the above-described circuit configuration, and may havethe circuit configuration described below, for example.

FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6, showing the circuitconfiguration of a load current selection circuit 140 a and a pull-upcircuit 131 a. Incidentally, in FIG. 12, the same components as those inthe load current selection circuit 140 and pull-up circuit 131 shown inFIG. 6 are represented by the same reference symbols, and will not bedescribed again.

The load current selection circuit 140 a is so formed as to include alogic circuit 140 h, which is a three-input NAND circuit; and a logiccircuit 140 f, which is a three-input NAND circuit.

To the logic circuit 140 h, the following signals are input: a logicallyinverted signal of an impedance setting code Ron (0); a logicallyinverted signal of an impedance setting code Ron (1); and a controlsignal ACT1.

The logic circuit 140 f has the same configuration as that of the loadcurrent selection circuit 140. To the logic circuit 140 f, the followingsignals are input: an impedance setting code Ron (0); a logicallyinverted signal of an impedance setting code Ron (1); and a controlsignal ACT1.

That is, as in the case of the load current selection circuit 140, whenthe impedance setting code Ron (0) is at a L-level, the impedancesetting code Ron (1) at a L-level, and the control signal ACT1 at aH-level, the load current selection circuit 140 a changes the conductioncontrol signal RON00 from a H-level to a L-level, and keeps theconduction control signal RON10 at a H-level.

When the impedance setting code Ron (0) is at a H-level, the impedancesetting code Ron (1) at a L-level, and the control signal ACT1 at aH-level, the load current selection circuit 140 a keeps the conductioncontrol signal RON00 at a H-level, and changes the conduction controlsignal RON10 from a H-level to a L-level.

The pull-up circuit 131 a includes a replica circuit 131 e and a loadcurrent generation circuit 131 g. The replica circuit 131 e is identicalto the replica circuit 131 e of the pull-up circuit 131, and thereforewill not be described.

The load current generation circuit 131 g is different from the loadcurrent generation circuit 131 f of the pull-up circuit 131: the seriescircuits each include a voltage-dividing circuit and an operationalamplifier.

That is, each portion of the load current generation circuit 131 gincludes a voltage-dividing circuit and a comparator. The load currentgeneration circuit 131 g includes a ×5 load current generation circuit71 (load current generation unit), which allows current five times aslarge as the current flowing through the replica circuit 131 e to flowthrough the ×5 load current generation circuit 71 during calibrationdepending on the number of unit buffers activated; and a ×6 load currentgeneration circuit 72 (load current generation unit), which allowscurrent six times as large as the current to flow through the ×6 loadcurrent generation circuit 72.

The ×5 load current generation circuit 71 includes a series circuit 71a, which is connected to the power supply line (VDD) of the replicacircuit 131 e, a resistor 71Ru, a resistor 71Rd, and an operationalamplifier 71 c. The ×6 load current generation circuit 72 includes aseries circuit 72 a, which is connected to the power supply line of thereplica circuit 131 e, a resistor 72Ru, a resistor 72Rd, and anoperational amplifier 71 c.

In the ×5 load current generation circuit 71, the series circuit 71 aincludes a PMOS transistor 71P, a NMOS transistor 71N, and a resistor71R. The source of the PMOS transistor 71P is connected to the powersupply line of the replica circuit 131 e. The gate of the PMOStransistor 71P is connected to the load current selection circuit 140 a,and a conduction control signal RON00 is input into the gate. The drainof the PMOS transistor 71P is connected to the drain of the NMOStransistor 71N. The drain of the NMOS transistor 71N is connected to thedrain of the PMOS transistor 71P. The gate of the NMOS transistor 71N isconnected to the output of the operational amplifier 71 c. The source ofthe NMOS transistor 71N is connected to one end (referred to as aconnection point Nd71) of the resistor 71R. One end of the resistor 71R(of resistance value R3) is connected to the connection point Nd71, andthe other end grounded.

In the ×5 load current generation circuit 71, the resistor 71Ru (ofresistance value R1) and the resistor 71Rd (of resistance value R2) makeup a voltage-dividing circuit. The voltage-dividing circuit divides thevoltage level of the power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e, andoutputs the resulting voltage level (V1) to an non-inverting inputterminal (+) of the operational amplifier 71 c.

Meanwhile, the inverting input terminal (−) is connected to theconnection point Nd71 of the series circuit 71 a. The operationalamplifier 71 c adjusts the voltage level of the output signal thereof inresponse to the voltage levels of the two input terminals, and outputsthe output signal to the gate of the NMOS transistor 71N of the seriescircuit 71 a.

When the voltage level of the connection point Nd71 is lower than thevoltage level (V1), the operational amplifier 71 c raises the voltagelevel of the output signal so that a current driving capability of theNMOS transistor 71N increases. When the voltage level of the connectionpoint Nd71 is higher than the voltage level (V1), the operationalamplifier 71 c lowers the voltage level of the output signal so that thecurrent driving capability of the NMOS transistor 71N decreases.

In this manner, the resistance value of the resistor 71R of the seriescircuit 71 a is set to the resistance value R3. Therefore, the value ofthe current flowing through the resistor 71R (indicated by i6 in thediagram) becomes five times as large as the value of the current flowingthrough the external resistance RZQ at a time when the voltage level ofthe calibration terminal ZQ is (VDD/2). During the calibrationoperation, the impedance control signals DRZQ are input into the replicacircuit 131 e; the impedance control signals DRZQ are adjusted in such away that the voltage level of the calibration terminal ZQ comes to(VDD/2). Meanwhile, as for the resistor 71R, the operational amplifier71 c adjusts the current driving capability of the NMOS transistor 71Nso that the voltage level of one end of the resistor 71R comes to (V1).In this case, as the resistance value R3 is set to V1/((VDD/2)/240Ω×5),the value i6 of the current flowing through the resistor 71R becomessubstantially five times as large as the value of the current of theexternal resistance RZQ.

That is, during the calibration operation, as the L-level conductioncontrol signal RON00 is input and as the PMOS transistor 71P is turnedON, the ×5 load current generation circuit 71 equipped with the seriescircuit 71 a allows the current whose current value i6 is substantiallyfive times as large as the current flowing from the power supply line ofthe replica circuit 131 e into the ground via the external resistanceRZQ connected to the calibration terminal ZQ to flow through the ×5 loadcurrent generation circuit 71. As a result, the voltage level of thepower supply line of the replica circuit 131 e drops.

Similarly to the ×5 load current generation circuit 71, in the ×6 loadcurrent generation circuit 72, the series circuit 72 a includes a PMOStransistor 72P, a NMOS transistor 72N, and a resistor 72R. The source ofthe PMOS transistor 72P is connected to the power supply line of thereplica circuit 131 e. The gate of the PMOS transistor 72P is connectedto the load current selection circuit 140 a, and a conduction controlsignal RON10 is input into the gate. The drain of the PMOS transistor72P is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor 72N. The drain ofthe NMOS transistor 72N is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor72P. The gate of the NMOS transistor 72N is connected to the output ofthe operational amplifier 72 c. The source of the NMOS transistor 72N isconnected to one end (referred to as a connection point Nd72) of theresistor 72R. One end of the resistor 72R (of resistance value R4) isconnected to the connection point Nd72, and the other end grounded.

In the ×6 load current generation circuit 72, the resistor 72Ru (ofresistance value R1) and the resistor 72Rd (of resistance value R2) makeup a voltage-dividing circuit. The voltage-dividing circuit divides thevoltage level of the power supply line of the replica circuit 131 e, andoutputs the resulting voltage level (V1) to an non-inverting inputterminal (+) of the operational amplifier 72 c.

Meanwhile, the inverting input terminal (−) is connected to theconnection point Nd72 of the series circuit 72 a. The operationalamplifier 72 c adjusts the voltage level of the output signal thereof inresponse to the voltage levels of the two input terminals, and outputsthe output signal to the gate of the NMOS transistor 72N of the seriescircuit 72 a.

When the voltage level of the connection point Nd72 is lower than thevoltage level (V1), the operational amplifier 72 c raises the voltagelevel of the output signal so that a current driving capability of theNMOS transistor 72N increases. When the voltage level of the connectionpoint Nd72 is higher than the voltage level (V1), the operationalamplifier 72 c lowers the voltage level of the output signal so that thecurrent driving capability of the NMOS transistor 72N decreases.

In this manner, the resistance value of the resistor 72R of the seriescircuit 72 a is set to the resistance value R4. Therefore, the value ofthe current flowing through the resistor 72R (indicated by i7 in thediagram) becomes six times as large as the value of the current flowingthrough the external resistance RZQ at a time when the voltage level ofthe calibration terminal ZQ is (VDD/2). During the calibrationoperation, the impedance control signals DRZQ are input into the replicacircuit 131 e; the impedance control signals DRZQ are adjusted in such away that the voltage level of the calibration terminal ZQ comes to(VDD/2). Meanwhile, as for the resistor 72R, the operational amplifier72 c operates to adjust the current driving capability of the NMOStransistor 72N so that the voltage level of one end of the resistor 72Rcomes to (V1). In this case, as the resistance value R4 is set toV1/((VDD/2)/240Ω×6), the value i7 of the current flowing through theresistor 72R becomes substantially six times as large as the value ofthe current of the external resistance RZQ.

That is, during the calibration operation, as the L-level conductioncontrol signal RON10 is input and as the PMOS transistor 72P is turnedON, the ×6 load current generation circuit 72 equipped with the seriescircuit 72 a allows the current whose current value i7 is substantiallysix times as large as the current flowing from the power supply line ofthe replica circuit 131 e into the ground via the external resistanceRZQ connected to the calibration terminal ZQ to flow through the ×6 loadcurrent generation circuit 72. As a result, the voltage level of thepower supply line of the replica circuit 131 e drops.

In that manner, the load current generation circuit 131 g changes thecurrent flowing through the load current generation circuit 131 gdepending on the number of unit buffers activated during the calibrationoperation, thereby causing a voltage drop on the power supply line ofthe replica circuit 131 e that is equal in magnitude to a drop in thevoltage level of the power supply line to which the activated unitbuffers are connected. Therefore, the impedance control signals DRZQ,which are determined during the calibration operation, can be adjustedin such a way as to reflect the number of unit buffers activated.

Incidentally, the resistance values R1 to R4 can be set by running acircuit simulation in such a way as to reflect a unit buffer, the layoutconfiguration of a power supply line to which a unit buffer isconnected, the load current generation circuit 131 g, and the layoutconfiguration of a power supply line to which the replica circuit 131 eis connected.

The above embodiment has been described by focusing on the impedance ofthe output buffer 101 at data outputting. However, selectivelyactivating unit buffers is also performed during a terminatingresistance (ODT) operation. Therefore, the present invention is notlimited to the data output operation, and may be applied to theterminating resistance operation, for example. The following provides abrief description of a semiconductor device 10 a that carries out thedata output operation and the ODT operation.

FIG. 13 is a block configuration diagram of the semiconductor device 10a, corresponding to FIG. 1 that shows the circuit configuration of thesemiconductor device 10. In FIG. 13, the same units as those in FIG. 1are represented by the same reference symbols, and will not bedescribed.

The semiconductor device 10 a has an ODT function, as well as a DSfunction. The ODT (On-Die Termination) function prevents the reflectionof signals by causing an output buffer to function as a terminatingresistance at a time when another semiconductor device is transferringdata on an external bus to which a data terminal DQ (second terminal) isconnected. The semiconductor device 10 a enables the ODT function bychanging the number of unit buffers activated in accordance with animpedance setting code: the unit buffers make up the output buffer.

In that manner, as opposed to the semiconductor device 10, thesemiconductor device 10 a further includes an On-Die Terminationterminal 12 b as an external terminal (or a pad on a semiconductorchip).

The On-Die Termination terminal 12 b is a terminal to which an On-DieTermination signal ODT is supplied. The On-Die Termination terminal 12 bis connected to a control circuit 21 a.

The control circuit 21 a controls the activity and non-activity levelsof an internal On-Die Termination control signal IODT in accordance withthe On-Die Termination signal ODT supplied from outside via the On-DieTermination terminal 12 b. Furthermore, when a command indicating theexecution of a calibration operation (CAL command) is supplied as acommand signal CMD from outside via the command terminals 12 a, thecontrol circuit 21 a brings (or activates) the control signals ACT1 andACT2 to a H-level twice, and supplies the control signals ACT1 and ACT2to the data input/output unit 100. The reason is because an impedanceadjustment unit 130 b of the data input/output unit 100 carries out acalibration operation of an output buffer corresponding to a data outputoperation, and a calibration operation of an output buffer correspondingto an ODT operation.

A mode register 22 a supplies the following codes to the datainput/output unit 100 a: an impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> (firstsetting signal) and an impedance setting code Rtt <1, 0> (second settingsignal), which are signals required to set the impedance of an outputcircuit of a data input/output unit 100 a. The impedance setting codeRtt <1, 0> is used at the time of ODT in the data input/output unit 100a. That is, the impedance setting code Rtt <1, 0> is a signal specifyingthe number of unit buffers to be activated at the time of ODT.

Incidentally, according to the present embodiment, for example, thelogic level of an address signal A2 that is among the address signalsADD and is different from an address signal used for the impedancesetting code Ron <1, 0> corresponds to and is equal to the logic levelof an impedance setting code Rtt <0> in the impedance setting code Rtt<1, 0>; the logic level of an address signal A6 corresponds to and isequal to the logic level of an impedance setting code Rtt <1>. That is,the mode register 22 a outputs a H-level or L-level impedance settingcode Rtt <0> in response to a H-level or L-level of the address signalA2 to the data input/output unit 100 a, and a H-level or L-levelimpedance setting code Rtt <1> in response to a H-level or L-level ofthe address signal A6 to the data input/output unit 100 a.

The data input/output unit 100 a controls the number of unit buffersdriving the data terminals DQ0 to DQn at the time of ODT in accordancewith the impedance setting code Rtt <1, 0> supplied from the moderegister 22 a at a time when the internal On-Die Termination controlsignal IODT supplied from the control circuit 21 a is at an activitylevel (or at a H-level).

The following describes the data input/output unit 100 a with referenceto FIG. 14.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the datainput/output unit 100 a, corresponding to FIG. 2 that shows theconfiguration of the data input/output unit 100. In FIG. 14, the sameunits as those in FIG. 2 are represented by the same reference symbols,and will not be described.

An impedance adjustment unit 130 b receives from the mode register 22 aan impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> and an impedance setting code Rtt<1, 0> as the number of unit buffer circuits activated; and generates animpedance control signal DRZQ1 and an impedance control signal DRZQ2 (oran impedance adjustment signal) on the basis of the setting codes.Depending on the logic level of the internal On-Die Termination controlsignal IODT, the impedance adjustment unit 130 b supplies one of thecontrol signals to a plurality of unit buffers (unit buffers 111 to 114and 121 to 123) via the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163 as an impedancecontrol signal DRZQ, thereby adjusting the impedances of a plurality ofthe unit buffers.

An output control circuit 150 a specifies unit buffers from among aplurality of unit buffers 111 to 11 n to activate, and also specifies anoutput level for driving a DQ terminal. The unit buffers to be activatedare specified in the following manner: the output control circuit 150 areceives an impedance setting code Ron <1, 0> and an impedance settingcode Rtt <1, 0> from the mode register 22 a, and then outputs, on thebasis of the setting codes, the selection signals 151P to 153P and theselection signals 151N to 153N to the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the impedanceadjustment unit 130 b, corresponding to FIG. 5 that shows theconfiguration of the impedance adjustment unit 130. In FIG. 15, the sameunits as those in FIG. 5 are represented by the same reference symbols,and will not be described.

The impedance adjustment unit 130 b includes a load current selectioncircuit 140 b, a pull-up circuit 131 a, a pull-up circuit 132, and apull-down circuit 133. Moreover, the impedance adjustment unit 130 bincludes a counter 134, which controls the pull-up circuit 132; acounter 135, which controls the pull-down circuit 133; a comparator 136,which controls the counter 134; and a comparator 137, which controls thecounter 135.

Furthermore, the impedance adjustment unit 130 b includes a latch andselection circuit 140 p that latches an impedance control signal DRZQ1and an impedance control signal DRZQ2, which are generated during acalibration operation, and outputs the impedance control signal DRZQ1 orDRZQ2 to the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163 depending on the internalOn-Die Termination control signal IODT.

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram of a load current selection circuit 140 band a pull-up circuit 131 a, corresponding to FIG. 12 that shows thecircuit configuration of the load current selection circuit 140 a andthe pull-up circuit 131 a. In FIG. 16, the same units as those in FIG.12 are represented by the same reference symbols, and will not bedescribed.

The load current selection circuit 140 b is so formed as to include alogic circuit 140 h, which is a three-input NAND circuit; a logiccircuit 140 f, which is a three-input NAND circuit; a logic circuit 140i, which is a three-input NAND circuit; a logic circuit 140 j, which isa three-input NAND circuit; an AND circuit 140 k; and an AND circuit 140m.

To the logic circuit 140 h, the following signals are input: a logicallyinverted signal of an impedance setting code Ron (0); a logicallyinverted signal of an impedance setting code Ron (1); and a controlsignal ACT1 a. When all three signals input are at a H-level, the logiccircuit 140 h outputs a L-level conduction control signal RON00 a. Whenat least one of the three signals input is at a L-level, the logiccircuit 140 h outputs a H-level conduction control signal RON00 a.

To the logic circuit 140 f, the following signals are input: animpedance setting code Ron (0); a logically inverted signal of animpedance setting code Ron (1); and a control signal ACT1 a. When allthree signals input are at a H-level, the logic circuit 140 f outputs aL-level conduction control signal RON10 a. When at least one of thethree signals input is at a L-level, the logic circuit 140 f outputs aH-level conduction control signal RON10 a.

To the logic circuit 140 i, the following signals are input: animpedance setting code Rtt (0); an impedance setting code Rtt (1); and acontrol signal ACT1 b. When all three signals input are at a H-level,the logic circuit 140 i outputs a L-level conduction control signalRON11 a. When at least one of the three signals input is at a L-level,the logic circuit 140 i outputs a H-level conduction control signalRON11 a.

To the logic circuit 140 j, the following signals are input: animpedance setting code Rtt (0); a logically inverted signal of animpedance setting code Rtt (1); and a control signal ACT1 b. When allthree signals input are at a H-level, the logic circuit 140 j outputs aL-level conduction control signal RON10 b. When at least one of thethree signals input is at a L-level, the logic circuit 140 j outputs aH-level conduction control signal RON10 b.

The AND circuit 140 k calculates a logical product of the conductioncontrol signal RON00 a and the conduction control signal RON11 a, andthen outputs a conduction control signal RON00.

The AND circuit 140 m calculates a logical product of the conductioncontrol signal RON10 a and the conduction control signal RON10 b, andthen outputs a conduction control signal RON10.

When the impedance setting code Ron (0) in the impedance setting codeRon <1, 0> is at a L-level, the impedance setting code Ron (1) at aL-level, and the control signal ACT1 a at a H-level, the load currentselection circuit 140 b changes the conduction control signal RON00 froma H-level to a L-level, and keeps the conduction control signal RON 10at a H-level.

When the impedance setting code Ron (0) in the impedance setting codeRon <1, 0> is at a H-level, the impedance setting code Ron (1) at aL-level, and the control signal ACT1 a at a H-level, the load currentselection circuit 140 b keeps the conduction control signal RON00 at aH-level, and changes the conduction control signal RON10 from a H-levelto a L-level.

When the impedance setting code Rtt (0) in the impedance setting codeRtt <1, 0> is at a H-level, the impedance setting code Rtt (1) at aH-level, and the control signal ACT1 b at a H-level, the load currentselection circuit 140 b changes the conduction control signal RON00 froma H-level to a L-level, and keeps the conduction control signal RON10 ata H-level.

When the impedance setting code Rtt (0) in the impedance setting codeRtt <1, 0> is at a H-level, the impedance setting code Rtt (1) at aL-level, and the control signal ACT1 b at a H-level, the load currentselection circuit 140 b keeps the conduction control signal RON00 at aH-level, and changes the conduction control signal RON10 from a H-levelto a L-level.

Returning to FIG. 15, when the control circuit 21 a activates thecontrol signal ACT1 twice, the counter 134 counts up or down during eachactivation period. When the control signal ACT1 is deactivated, thecounter 134 stops the counting operation. At a time when the controlsignal ACT1 is changed from an active level to an inactive level for thesecond time, the counter 134 retains each count value.

When the control circuit 21 a activates the control signal ACT2 twice,the counter 135 counts up or down during each activation period. At atime when the control signal ACT2 is changed from an active level to aninactive level for the second time, the counter 135 retains each countvalue.

At a time when the control signal ACT2 is changed from an active levelto an inactive level for the second time, the latch and selectioncircuit 140 p latches the count value of the counter 134 and the countvalue of the counter 135.

At a time when the control signal ACT2 is changed from an active levelto an inactive level for the first time, the latch and selection circuit140 p latches the count value of the counter 134 as an impedance controlsignal DRZQP1, and the count value of the counter 135 as an impedancecontrol signal DRZQN1. The impedance control signal DRZQP1 and theimpedance control signal DRZQN1 are collectively referred to as animpedance control signal DRZQ1, which is adjusted by the load currentgeneration circuit 131 g during a calibration so as to reflect thenumber of unit buffers activated. The latched impedance control signalDRZQ1 is supplied in common to the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163 shownin FIGS. 2 and 4 as an impedance control signal DRZQ at a time when theinternal On-Die Termination control signal IODT is at a L-level.

At a time when the control signal ACT2 is changed from an active levelto an inactive level for the second time, the latch and selectioncircuit 140 p latches the count value of the counter 134 as an impedancecontrol signal DRZQP2, and the count value of the counter 135 as animpedance control signal DRZQN2. The impedance control signal DRZQP2 andthe impedance control signal DRZQN2 are collectively referred to as animpedance control signal DRZQ2, which is adjusted by the load currentgeneration circuit 131 g during a calibration so as to reflect thenumber of unit buffers activated. The latched impedance control signalDRZQ2 is supplied in common to the pre-stage circuits 161 to 163 shownin FIGS. 2 and 4 as an impedance control signal DRZQ at a time when theinternal On-Die Termination control signal IODT is at a H-level.

The following describes the data output operation and the ODT operation.

After a read command is supplied from a memory controller, the outputcontrol circuit 150 a activates unit buffers out of unit buffers 111 to114 and 121 to 123 of the output buffer 101, with the number of unitbuffers activated determined based on an impedance setting code Ron <1,0> supplied from the mode register 22 a. The output control circuit 150a also drives the data terminals DQ to a logic level corresponding toData supplied from the memory cell array 20. The impedance adjustmentunit 130 b outputs the impedance control signal DRZQ1 as the impedancecontrol signal DRZQ. Accordingly, after being activated, the pull-upcircuits PU and pull-down circuits PD of the unit buffers 111 to 114 and121 to 123 drive the data terminals with the impedance corresponding tothe impedance control signal DRZQ1 supplied from the impedanceadjustment unit 130 b.

After an On-Die Termination signal is supplied from a memory controller,the output control circuit 150 a activates unit buffers out of unitbuffers 111 to 114 and 121 to 123 of the output buffer 101, with thenumber of unit buffers activated determined based on an impedancesetting code Rtt <1, 0> supplied from the mode register 22 a; andtherefore terminates the data terminals DQ. The impedance adjustmentunit 130 b outputs the impedance control signal DRZQ2 as the impedancecontrol signal DRZQ. Accordingly, after being activated, the pull-upcircuits PU and pull-down circuits PD of the unit buffers 111 to 114 and121 to 123 drive the data terminals with the impedance corresponding tothe impedance control signal DRZQ2 supplied from the impedanceadjustment unit 130 b.

In that manner, the semiconductor device 10 a adjusts the impedances ofunit buffers during the calibration in accordance with the number ofunit buffers activated by the data output operation and the ODToperation. As a result, during the data output operation and the ODToperation, the semiconductor device 10 a can keep the impedance of theoutput circuit from deviating from a target value even when the numberof unit buffers activated varies; and it is possible to improve theaccuracy of adjusting the impedance of the output circuit (output buffer101).

The following describes a memory system that uses a semiconductor deviceof the present invention with reference to FIG. 17.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a memory systemthat includes a data processor 420 and a DRAM 10.

As shown in FIG. 17, the data processor 420 and the DRAM 10 (10 a) areconnected to each other via a control bus 423 and a data bus 424. Thecontrol bus 423 is designed to transfer a clock, command, address, andany other control signals from the data processor 420 to the DRAM 10 (10a). The data bus 424 is designed to transfer data between the dataprocessor 420 and the DRAM 10 (10 a). In this case, the data aretransmitted in both directions between the data processor 420 and theDRAM 10 (10 a). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 17, the data processor 420also includes a data input/output unit 421. In the description of theabove embodiment, a data input/output unit 200 of the DRAM 10 (10 a) isdescribed in detail. The data input/output circuit 421 of the dataprocessor 420 may have a similar impedance adjustment function to thatof the data input/output circuit 100 (100 a) of the DRAM 10 (10 a).

The technical concept of the present application can be applied tosemiconductor devices having various functions other than the memoryfunction. Furthermore, the circuitry form in each of the circuit blocksdisclosed in the drawings, as well as a circuit that generates othercontrol signals, is not limited to the circuitry form disclosed in theexamples. For example, according to the above embodiment, the outputbuffer 101 includes seven unit buffers, and activates six or seven unitbuffers when the data output operation and the ODT operation areperformed. However, the total number of unit buffers is not specificallylimited, as long as the number is two or more. Moreover, the number ofunit buffers activated during the data output operation or ODT operationis not specifically limited.

The technical concept of the present invention may be applied to, forexample, semiconductor products in general, including CPUs (CentralProcessing Units), MCUs (Micro Control Units), DSPs (Digital SignalProcessors), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), ASSPs(Application Specific Standard Product), and memories. Examples of theproduct types of the semiconductor devices to which the presentinvention is applicable include an SOC (System On Chip), MCP (Multi ChipPackage), and POP (Package On Package). The present invention may beapplied to semiconductor devices that have any of such product types andpackage types. When the transistors are field effect transistors (FETs),various FETs are applicable, including MIS (Metal InsulatorSemiconductor) and TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as well as MOS (MetalOxide Semiconductor). The device may even include bipolar transistors.

The N-channel transistors or NMOS transistors are a representativeexample of the transistor of first conductivity type. The P-channeltransistors or PMOS transistors are a representative example of thetransistor of second conductivity type.

It is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the aboveembodiments, but may be modified and changed without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention.

1. A semiconductor device comprising: an output circuit having aplurality of unit buffer circuits, wherein an impedance of each unitbuffer circuit of the plurality of unit buffer circuits is adjustable; acontrol circuit configured to selectively activate one or more unitbuffer circuits of the plurality of unit buffer circuits; and animpedance adjustment unit configured to adjust the impedance of each ofthe unit buffer circuits of the plurality of unit buffer circuits,wherein the impedance adjustment unit comprises a first power line, areplica circuit, and a load current generation circuit, and wherein thereplica circuit and the load current generation circuit are coupled incommon to the first power line, the replica circuit has a replicaimpedance that is substantially equal to the impedance of the outputcircuit, and the load current generation circuit changes current flowingtherethrough in accordance with a number of the activated one or moreunit buffer circuits of the plurality of unit buffer circuits, andwherein the load current generation circuit comprises a comparatorhaving an output that is used to selectively change the current flowingthrough the load current generation circuit.
 2. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, further comprising a first terminal coupled to the replicacircuit and configured to be coupled to an external resistor having apredetermined resistance value, and wherein the impedance adjustmentunit generates an impedance adjustment signal such that the replicaimpedance of the replica circuit becomes substantially equal to theresistance value of the external resistor, and the impedance adjustmentunit supplies the impedance adjustment signal to each of the unit buffercircuits of the plurality of unit buffer circuits to adjust theimpedance of each of the unit buffer circuits.
 3. The semiconductordevice of claim 2, wherein the replica circuit enables a first currentto flow in accordance with the impedance adjustment signal between thefirst power line and a second power line, the first power line beingcoupled to a power supply, the second power line being coupled to theexternal resistor, and the load current generation circuit enables asecond current whose quantity is substantially equal to a valuecalculated by subtracting one from the number of activated one or moreof the unit buffer circuits of the plurality of unit buffer circuits andmultiplying a resultant value by a quantity of the first current to flowfrom the first power line to a third power line, the third power linebeing supplied with substantially the same potential as the second powerline.
 4. The semiconductor device of claim 3, wherein the load currentgeneration circuit includes a plurality of series circuits, each of theseries circuits including a resistor having a first node coupled to thethird power line, a first transistor coupled to a second node of theresistor, and a second transistor coupled between the first transistorand the first power line, and wherein the comparator of the load currentgeneration circuit includes an operational amplifier that provides anoutput to adjust a voltage level provided to the first transistor ofeach of the series circuits, wherein the output is produced by comparinga voltage level of the second node of the resistor of one of the seriescircuits with a voltage level at the first terminal, and the loadcurrent generation circuit enables the second current to flow to thethird power line when the first and second transistors included in atleast one of the series circuits are brought into an ON state.
 5. Thesemiconductor device of claim 3, wherein the load current generationcircuit includes a plurality of load current generation units, each ofthe load current generation units of the plurality of load currentgeneration units includes a resistor having a first node coupled to thethird power line, a first transistor coupled to a second node of theresistor, and a second transistor coupled between the first transistorand the first power line, the load current generation circuit furtherincludes: a voltage-dividing circuit that divides a voltage level of thefirst power line to generate a divided voltage; wherein the comparatorcontrols the first transistor of each of the load current generationunits of the plurality of load current generation units by comparing avoltage level of the second node of the resistor of one of the loadcurrent generation units with the divided voltage, and each of the loadcurrent generation units of the plurality of load current generationunits enables the second current to flow to the third power lineaccording to the divided voltage when the first and second transistorsincluded therein are brought into an ON state.
 6. The semiconductordevice of claim 4, further comprising a mode register indicating thenumber of the unit buffer circuits of the plurality of unit buffercircuits to be activated, wherein the control circuit outputs a settingsignal based on an output signal of the mode register, and the impedanceadjustment unit includes a load current selection circuit thatselectively brings the second transistor of each of the series circuitsinto an ON state based on the setting signal.
 7. The semiconductordevice of claim 6, further comprising a second terminal, wherein eachunit buffer circuit of the plurality of unit buffer circuits includes apull-up circuit that drives the second terminal to a voltage level ofthe first power line and a pull-down circuit that drives the secondterminal to a voltage level of the second power line, the setting signalincludes a first setting signal and a second setting signal, and whereinwhen a read command that instructs the semiconductor device to read adata from an internal circuit and output the data to the second terminalis issued to the semiconductor device, the control circuit activates oneof the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit included in theselected one or more of the unit buffer circuits of the plurality ofunit buffer circuits in accordance with the first setting signal,thereby driving the second terminal, and when an On-Die Terminationsignal that instructs the output circuit to function as a terminatingresistor is issued to the semiconductor device, the control circuitactivates both the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit included inthe selected one or more of the unit buffer circuits in accordance withthe second setting signal, thereby driving the second terminal.
 8. Adevice comprising: a first terminal; a plurality of output bufferscoupled in common to the first terminal; an output control circuitconfigured to receive a first control signal and to activate one or moreoutput buffers of the plurality of output buffers in response to thefirst control signal; and an impedance adjustment unit comprising areplica circuit, a plurality of current generation circuits, and a powerline, wherein the replica circuit and each current generation circuit ofthe plurality of current generation circuits are coupled in common tothe power line, the impedance adjustment unit is configured to adjust animpedance of each output buffer of the plurality of output buffers inresponse to an impedance of the replica circuit, and wherein theimpedance adjustment unit comprises a current control circuit configuredto receive the first control signal and to activate one or more of thecurrent generation circuits of the plurality of current generationcircuits in response to the first control signal, and wherein thecurrent control circuit comprises a comparator having an output that isused to selectively change the current flowing through the currentcontrol circuit.
 9. The device of claim 8, further comprising a moderesistor circuit configured to store information to indicate a number ofthe one or more output buffers of the plurality of output buffers and tosupply the first control signal to the output control circuit and to theimpedance adjustment unit in response to the information.
 10. The deviceof claim 8, wherein the impedance adjustment unit is configured tosupply a second control signal to the output control circuit in responseto the impedance of the replica circuit, and the output control circuitis configured to adjust the impedance of each output buffer of theplurality of output buffers in response to the second control signal.11. The device of claim 8, wherein each current generation circuit ofthe plurality of current generation circuits of the impedance adjustmentunit is configured to apply a first current thereto, the first currentbeing substantially equal to a current that is applied to the replicacircuit of the impedance adjustment unit.
 12. The device of claim 8,further comprising a second terminal configured to be coupled to anexternal resistor that has a first resistance value, and wherein eachcurrent generation circuit of the plurality of current generationcircuits of the impedance adjustment unit comprises a second resistorhaving a second resistive value that is substantially equal to the firstresistive value.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein the replica circuitis coupled to the second terminal.
 14. The device of claim 12, whereineach current generation circuit of the plurality of current generationcircuits includes a transistor coupled between the second resistor andthe power line, the transistor of each of the current generationcircuits includes a control node coupled to the current control circuit.15. A system comprising: a control device; and a memory device coupledto the control device, the memory device comprising; a first terminalcoupled to the control device; a plurality of output buffers coupled incommon to the first terminal; an output control circuit configured toreceive a first control signal and to activate one or more outputbuffers of the plurality of output buffers in response to the firstcontrol signal; and an impedance adjustment unit including a replicacircuit, a plurality of current generation circuits, and a power line,wherein the replica circuit and each current generation circuit of theplurality of current generation circuits are coupled in common to thepower line, the impedance adjustment unit is configured to adjust animpedance of each output buffer of the plurality of output buffers inresponse to an impedance of the replica circuit, and wherein theimpedance adjustable circuit comprises a current control circuitconfigured to receive the first control signal and to activate one ormore current generation circuits of the plurality of current generationcircuits in response to the first control signal, and wherein thecurrent control circuit comprises a comparator having an output that isused to selectively change a current flowing through the current controlcircuit.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory device comprisesa mode resistor circuit configured to store information that is used toindicate a number of the one or more output buffers of the plurality ofoutput buffers and to supply the first control signal to the outputcontrol circuit and to the impedance adjustment unit in response to theinformation.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the impedanceadjustment unit of the memory device is configured to supply a secondcontrol signal to the output control circuit in response to theimpedance of the replica circuit, and the output control circuit isconfigured to adjust the impedance of each output buffer of theplurality of output buffers in response to the second control signal.18. The system of claim 15, wherein each current generation circuit ofthe plurality of current generation circuits of the impedance adjustmentunit of the memory device is configured to apply a first currentthereto, wherein the first current is substantially equal to a currentthat is applied to the replica circuit of the impedance adjustmentcircuit.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory device comprisesa second terminal configured to be coupled to an external resistor thathas a first resistance value, and each current generation circuit of theplurality of current generation circuits of the impedance adjustmentunit of the memory device includes a second resistor having a secondresistive value that is substantially equal to the first resistivevalue.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the replica circuit of theadjustment unit of the memory device is coupled to the second terminal.